Claim OwnershipWrite, Damn It! with Zoe Richards
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Welcome to Write, Damn It!, interviews with authors and writing mindset for writers who need a nudge or a good old shove to get the writing done, along with inspiration and motivation to help the words flow. Listening to Write, Damn It! helps you to become your own book coach with a combination of interviews, panels and mindset memos.
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Bookaholic Bex gives us a rundown of her selection of books that we all must read, and oh my, she's picked some great ones - listen in to find out what she picked as well as to hear the books I went and added, too. Oh dear, your TBR is going to be growing and we're not even far into the year yet! Support the show Join me on Substack - here - for more insights into writing and being published, as well as mindset tips and tools. You can subscribe to get access to much more from me, including wo...
Jenni Bayliss lives on the Kent coast with her husband, their children having flown the nest. After writing stories for many years while raising her children and working as a baker, she enrolled part time on a Creative and Professional Writing degree course at Canterbury Christchurch University when she was 39, to see if she could make a go of this writing malarkey. Her debut novel was published in 2019 when she was 45. Jenni's books: A December to Remember, The Twelve Dates of Christm...
Phillipa Ashley is a Sunday Times, Amazon and Audible best-selling author of uplifting romantic fiction. After studying English at Oxford university, she worked as a copywriter and journalist before turning her hand to writing novels. since then, her novels have sold well over a million copies and have been translated into numerous languages. Phillipa lives in an English village with her husband, has a grown-up daughter and loves nothing better than walking the Lake District hills and swimmin...
It's no mean feat to self-publish, so in today's episode I ask the question 'do you have the right mindset to do it?' Listen to the end to hear a tip for going into bookshops and asking the question about whether they will stock your book. Support the show Join me on Substack - here - for more insights into writing and being published, as well as mindset tips and tools. You can subscribe to get access to much more from me, including workshops and coaching. If you would like to show your love...
Mark Stay got a part-time Christmas job at Waterstones in the 90s and, despite being working class and quite lippy, somehow ended up working in publishing for over 25 years. He wrote in his spare time and sometimes those writings got turned into books and films, including the Witches of Woodville series from Simon & Schuster, and the 2023 Warner Bros. horror movie Unwelcome. Nautilus, the #1 Amazon Prime TV series, was based on his treatment. Mark was also co-presenter of the award-...
In this episode I take you through a project manager's way of approaching self-publishing, sharing different elements that you need to consider up to the point of publishing. Full disclosure, I am not an expert in self-publishing, but I am an expert in project management, having managed projects since the late 1980s. Support the show Join me on Substack - here - for more insights into writing and being published, as well as mindset tips and tools. You can subscribe to get access to much more ...
This week we have a panel of authors talking about self-publishing. JM Simpson, Jo, is in a 1-2-1 interview in episode 47. Her Debut novel Sea State is set in Castleby, a fictional town in Wales (based on Tenby). It's a suspense thriller set against the backdrop of a lifeboat crew. There are now 6 books in the series which has progressed into crime and thriller territory and despite a number of offers Jo chose to self-publish. Christmas in Castleby is released on November 1st. A new series ...
Lucy Jane Wood is a 33 year old content creator from the Wirral, living in London with her partner Adam and cat Flo. She's been making lifestyle and book content on YouTube and Instagram for ten years or so, and previously worked as a freelance writer before social media took over as her job in around 2018. You can usually find her with a giant coffee, her ridiculous cat and a good book in hand. Rewitched is her debut novel. It came out in September and is a cosy, witchy, autumnal story with ...
Ever doubt yourself as a writer or author because things are not happening for you the way that they are for others? In October's Mindset Memo, the first of this new series of the Monthly Mindset Memo, I share some reality checks that will help you experience the world of writing and publishing in a more realistic way. I cover writing what we know, first drafts, six figure book deals, making money as a writer, and fairy dust (yes, fairy dust!), and get into the truth about the world of writin...
Ashley is a sci-fi and fantasy author and professional astronomer. When she isn’t studying the intricacies of galaxy evolution and artificial intelligence, she’s plotting out and writing character driven speculative fiction at the intersections of queerness and neurodiversity. Ashley enjoys picking up and putting down heavy objects at the gym, playing table-top RPGs, and she developed a taste for going to raves at the age of thirty. Title: The Potent Solution Genre: Historical Urban Fantasy ...
A new feature on the podcast is a quarterly chat with Bookaholic Bex (@BexBookaholic on TwiX) about books, more books, and even more books. In this episode, Bex talks about 3 books she's read, and 1 that's coming, and I add in a couple more for good measure too. Listen in to find out what books Bex thinks everyone should be reading - or adding to the Christmas present list. Support the show Join me on Substack - here - for more insights into writing and being published, as well as mindset t...
Welcome to Season 3 - listen in to this short trailer to find out what's coming in this new season. Changes are afoot! Support the show Join me on Substack - here - for more insights into writing and being published, as well as mindset tips and tools. You can subscribe to get access to much more from me, including workshops and coaching. If you would like to show your love for the podcast, please consider buying me a coffee through BuyMeACoffee.com. This gives you an opportunity to make a sm...
Zen Cho writes fantasy and romance. Her fiction has won the Hugo, Crawford and British Fantasy Awards, and the LA Times Ray Bradbury Prize. Her newest novel, The Friend Zone Experiment, is a contemporary romance set in London. Born and raised in Malaysia, Zen now lives in the UK. The Friend Zone Experiment, which is contemporary romance, came out in August 2024, and you can go to Zen's website for more information https://zencho.org/books/the-friend-zone-experiment/ You can find Zen on soci...
With a degree in English and American Literature, Julie Haworth worked as an English teacher for a number of years, specialising in working with learners with literacy difficulties, before launching her own freelance copywriting business. She is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, and her debut novel, Always By Your Side, which she wrote whilst recovering from Covid in 2020, won the Katie Fforde Debut Romantic Novel Award in 2023. Her latest novel, New Beginnings at the Cosy Cat...
Dan Malakin has twice been shortlisted for the Bridport Prize, and his debut novel, The Regret, was a Kindle bestseller. He is also the author of The Box and The Wreckage of Us. When not writing thrillers, Dan works as a data security consultant, teaching corporations how to protect themselves from hackers. He lives in North London with his wife and daughter. Support the show Join me on Substack - here - for more insights into writing and being published, as well as mindset tips and tools. Yo...
Ania Card lives in Brighton but was born and grew up in Poland. She started writing in English when she arrived at Cardiff University, getting involved with the student cultural magazine 'Quench', where she became part of the editing team and headed the LGBTQ+ section. With a background in film theory and production, she has published film and music essays and reviews on independent platforms. Above Us the Sea is her first novel. You can find Ania on social media at https://x.com/aniac...
Emma Cowell lives in Falmouth Cornwall with her husband, Tony, and their fur baby, a Russian Blue called Papoushka. A former actress and BBC presenter Emma is currently Head of Philanthropy for national children’s palliative care charity, Together for Short Lives. Her first two novels were bestsellers and have been published in seven languages to date. Outside of work, Emma is a keen angler and is attempting to learn Greek to maintain her love affair with the country where she has set her nov...
Ellery Lloyd is the pen name for husband and wife writers, Collette Lyons and Paul Vlitos. They are the authors of Richard and Judy pick People Like Her and Reese Witherspoon pick The Club, and their new mystery, The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby which was out June 20th which is available here - https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-final-act-of-juliette-willoughby/ellery-lloyd/9781035020805 Collette is a former magazine editor and journalist, and Paul is Professor of Creative Writing at t...
For this episode I am joined by two wonderful guest hosts who are chatting with me about my debut novel, Garden of Her Heart, which launched on 20th June. My two guest hosts are Jennie Godfrey who wrote The List of Suspicious Things, and Bookaholic Bex, who won a mini competition on TwiX for a book reviewer to join us as a host - Bex is a book blogger and book reviewer who is well loved in the writing community on TwiX. Thank to both my guest hosts, who did an amazing job - you can really he...
Tonight, as this episode goes live, is the pre-launch event for my novel, Garden of Her Heart. Next week is the launch event. Am I ready? In this episode I do a dive into how we can know when we're ready - be that ready to write, to edit, to query agents, to call ourselves a writer, an author ... whatever your ready is. Support the show Join me on Substack - here - for more insights into writing and being published, as well as mindset tips and tools. You can subscribe to get access to much mo...
Kate Foster is a journalist and author. Her debut novel, The Maiden, was longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2024 and won theBloody Scotland Crime Debut of the Year 2023. Her latest novel, The Kings Witches, is out now. She has been ajournalist for 25 years and began fiction-writing in lockdown as a means of escaping the world. Kate can be found on social media - TwiX @katefostermedia and Insta @katefosterauthor Support the show Join me on Substack - here - for more insights into wr...
I regularly talk about how much support I have received on my writing journey from Jericho Writers, and so today's conversation is with Sophie Flynn, and author in her own right, and also the MD of Jericho Writers. Sophie is a Cotswolds-based psychological thriller author with an MA in Creative Writing from Oxford Brookes. Her debut novel ALL MY LIES was published by Simon & Schuster in April 2021. She has since had more psychological thrillers published by Hera, mostly recently WHAT STA...
Lily Samson studied English at Oxford University and works in publishing. She divides her time between London and Paris, where her French partner resides. In her spare time she enjoys watching Hitchcock movies and moonlighting as a freelance artist. Her debut novel, The Switch, is out now - it is a dark, sexy thriller that hooks the reader from the first page. Support the show Join me on Substack - here - for more insights into writing and being published, as well as mindset tips and t...
Hearing about someone having their novel published is really exciting, isn't it? But what's it really like for the author? In this episode I share the ups and the downs of the lead in to publication date for Garden of Her Heart on 20th June 2024. Support the show Join me on Substack - here - for more insights into writing and being published, as well as mindset tips and tools. You can subscribe to get access to much more from me, including workshops and coaching. If you would like to show yo...
Lecturer, producer, Flâneur and novelist, John ‘JP’ Maxwell is the purveyor of nefarious historical antics in his Water Street series of novels. He lives in Liverpool and drinks only good coffee. Water Street, historical thriller and Western, published by BK Fiction in July 2023 - you can read or listen to WATER Street here: amzn.to/43yZ3Tr The Americans of Abercromby Square, sequel, out late 2024 On social media you can find John as Insta & TikTok @outandaboutwithmaxwell X: @maxmaxwrit...
Have you noticed how some novels get a lot of media attention and others don't? In most cases, it's likely to be because a publicist is working with the author, and one who knows the right people and how to get the right message out there. In this episode, I talk to my own publicist, Karen Stretch, who is supporting me through UCLan Publishing. Karen is a freelance publicist and if you are interested in working with her, here is her website - https://www.karenstretchpr.co.uk/ In the pod...
Ashleigh Nugent’s debut novel, LOCKS, was published by Picador Books in 2023 to rave reviews including 4/5 stars in the Daily Telegraph. LOCKS recently secured a TV deal with 2LE Media. Ashleigh has also written for theatres, academic journals, poetry anthologies and magazines. Ashleigh was Liverpool City Region’s Artist of the Year in 2021. He is also course director at RiseUp, where he uses his own life experience and mindset expertise to support prisoners. LOCKS Published by Picador 22nd ...
Chronic illness is something that impacts on a lot of writers, and I've been asked a few times to do an episode on what sufferers can do - and so I invited Ellie Johnson (Ellie J Wellness) to come and chat to me. Ellie is the host of The Wellness Girly podcast, and can be found on Instagram as @elliejwellness. Ellie has personal experience of living with a chronic illness, as well as having supported many clients who were struggling with their own chronic fatigue or chronic illness. Ellie has...
Frances Quinn is the author of historical novels The Smallest Man, That Bonesetter Woman and The Lost Passenger (to be published Feb 2025). Previously a journalist, she’d dreamed of writing books since she was seven years old and finally saw the dream come true when her first novel was published at the age of 57. She lives in Hove with her husband and three Tonkinese cats. You can find Frances on social media as: Twitter @franquinn Insta @franquinn21 Facebook Author Frances Quinn...
In the last of the mini series on Writing Neurodiverse Characters, I chat with Sarah Ziegel who has lived experience as a mother of 4 boys with autism and other ND traits. Sarah has written and self-published 2 books, her latest of which won her an award. This is a memoir called Marching to a Different Beat, and is an invaluable book for understanding one person's lived experience of neurodiversity. In this conversation, Sarah and I cover a range of interesting topics related to ND and writi...
Natali Simmonds is a multi-genre fiction author. Her thriller,Good Girls Die Last,is being adapted for TV, and the last book of her fantasy trilogy,Children of Shadows,was shortlisted for an RNA Fantasy Award. She also co-writes paranormal romance as Caedis Knight. Originally from London, she now divides her time between the UK, Spain, and the Netherlands. Natali can be found on social media as Twitter: @njsimmondbooks FB: facebook.com/NjsimmondsAuthor/ IG: instagram.com/njsimmonds_author/ ...
In the third in the series on Writing Neurodiverse Characters we dive into being authentic, bringing together what ND is, and what the most obvious traits are. This episode explores a series of questions that help to write an ND character with authenticity, and it ends with 3 short exercises that will help you write your ND characters. Support the show Join me on Substack - here - for more insights into writing and being published, as well as mindset tips and tools. You can subscribe to get a...
Rebecca Thorne is the author of the Tomes & Tea cozy fantasy series, as well as several self-published novels. She loves fantasy, romance, and dragons. Rebecca's latest book is Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea, which is cozy fantasy (and you can find out more about this on the podcast), and it is out on 7th May (US) & 9th May (UK). This book follows two women who leave their dangerous fantasy lives to open a bookshop that serves tea. Who doesn't love a bookshop in a book? Y...
In the second of the mini series on writing neurodivergent characters we dive into a high level overview of ND traits - this is not a definitive list, but gives you a sense of how to go beyond the stereotypes of describing a neurodiverse character. Next week we delve into how to bring the ND context into character building and characterisation. Support the show Join me on Substack - here - for more insights into writing and being published, as well as mindset tips and tools. You can subscrib...
Emma-Claire Wilson is an author of emotional commercial and book club fiction. She writes ‘to make sense of the world’, and loves nothing more than tackling tough subjects and issues that affect her readers on a daily basis. When she is not writing fiction, she enjoys exercising her brain muscles with freelance copywriting, coaching other writers or writing articles for The Glass House Online Magazine. Her debut, This Child of Mine, although not autobiographical, was based on personal e...
Neurodiversity is becoming more of a thing in character development since Eleanor Oliphant appeared in May 2017. Since then I've read a few books that have handled neurodivergent characters well - and many that have not. Even with my level of expertise I would still say that I don't fully know neurodiversity - because the reality is, there are many types of neurodiversity. However, it appears that some writers have chosen to write the stereotypical character with no social skills. This ...
Alexandra Potter is the bestselling author of numerous romantic comedy fiction novels in the UK, including One Good Thing and Confessions of a Forty-Something F##k Up, one of the bestselling books of 2022 and the basis of a major TV series. These titles have sold in twenty-five territories and achieved worldwide sales of more than one million copies, making the bestseller charts across the world. MORE Confessions of a Forty-Something F**K Up - paperback release date April 11, 2024 (hardback ...
What is an author's voice? And is it the same as a character's voice? In this episode I describe both types of voice, and I offer some tips on how to help develop your voice - one important thing to remember, though, our voice evolves over time. It can't be forced, and once we've found it, it's unlikely to be fixed. Support the show Join me on Substack - here - for more insights into writing and being published, as well as mindset tips and tools. You can subscribe to get access to much more f...
Triona Campbell is a two-time Emmy-nominated TV producer. Triona has a Master’s in Creative Writing from Trinity College, Dublin, and is the writer of the award-winning podcast drama Adventures of a Young Pirate Queen. She is an award winning writer and her new book The Traitor In The Game is out now. She is passionate about creating teen content (and finding time to play retro video games with her kids). For more information see: www.trionacampbell.com Debut book: YA Thril...
Part of the reality of being rejected - or not hearing anything from agents - is that we compare ourselves to others. It's natural to do that. We might also find ourselves getting a little envious of others and their successes. In this episode we delve into this very real, and yet seldom talked about, topic of the rejection experience. As you'd expect, I give you some actionable steps to help when comparisonitis takes you on, and envy rears its head. Support the show Join me on Substack - her...
Laura Ramnarace lives in rural southwestern New Mexico, USA, in the traditional territory of the Chiricahua and Warm Springs Apache people, where she works as a mediator, facilitator and educator. She holds a Master’s degree in Conflict Resolution. Her other creative endeavours include beadwork, tile mosaics, crochet, soap making and cooking. Other pleasures include hiking, camping, yoga and long conversations with friends and family. The Sung Home trilogy is a Solar Punk story, which means ...
In the third of The Rejection Series we get into what to do when you get rejections, with combination of tips that you can try to find what works best for you. It might be that all of the tips are worth doing, or you might find a favourite and stick with that. Support the show Join me on Substack - here - for more insights into writing and being published, as well as mindset tips and tools. You can subscribe to get access to much more from me, including workshops and coaching. If you w...
Nicola Gill lives in London with her husband and two sons. At the age of five, when all of the other little girls wanted to be ballet dancers, she decided she wanted to be an author. Her ballet teacher was very relieved. Nicola has written three published novels, the latest of which is Swimming For Beginners. This tells the story of Loretta who has her life all under control and how she likes it. It’s turned upside down when a stranger at an airport asks her to keep an eye on her sleeping c...
In the second of The Rejection Series we delve into four reasons why a novel might be rejected by agents. It's not great being rejected by agents, and it can feel very disheartening, but you'll hear that one of the first things to do is to accept the it's not personal. Support the show Join me on Substack - here - for more insights into writing and being published, as well as mindset tips and tools. You can subscribe to get access to much more from me, including workshops and coaching. If yo...
B.P. Walter is the Sunday Times bestselling author of six thrillers including The Dinner Guest, The Locked Attic and Notes on a Murder. He was born and raised in Essex, worked in bookshops during his teens, then went to the University of Southampton to study Film and English. He is also an alumnus of the Faber Academy. Since then he has previously worked in social media coordination and now writes full time. His first two thrillers, A Version of the Truth and Hold Your Breath, were published...
Over the next few weeks, the Friday episodes will be devoted to rejections - something that the world of trad publishing requires us to become quickly acquainted with. In this first in the series, I talk about expectations, with practical tips on what you can do to set your expectations in a way that works for you. I also share some figures that help you understand why the querying process is unlikely to change, and listen through to the end of the episode to discover one tip that will give y...
Originally from Yorkshire, Lisa now lives in London with her husband and two teenage daughters. She started her career teaching English and Drama and has written three family drama novels under her own name, filled with devastating secrets and explosive revelations. In February, she published her first Book Club novel, The Memory Library, under the pen name Kate Storey. It’s an uplifting book about family, community and the perennial love of books. Lisa's Books (all published by Avon, HarperC...
Do you ever find yourself thinking negatively about your writing? In this episode I share an approach for catching yourself out, understanding your limiting believes, and how to play with an alternative way of thinking to turn things around for yourself. I mention a book that I believe it worth reading - The Big Leap by Gaye Hendricks. It's a book that definitely did a lot to change my thinking, so it comes highly recommended from me. I also mention Denise Duffield Thomas - you can buy her ...
Louise Morrish is a historical fiction writer and librarian from Hampshire. She writes stories inspired by the lives of women in the past, who achieved extraordinary things, but whom history has forgotten. Her debut novel, Operation Moonlight, won the Penguin Random House First Novel competition in 2019, and was published by Penguin Michael Joseph in 2022. Operation Moonlight is inspired by the female secret agents of the Special Operations Executive, whose brave exploits helped win World War...
First up, I'm not an expert on social media, so please do seek advice from someone with much more expertise in this area than me. Having said that, I do know a fair bit about how to use social media and how to make it work for you at a lower scale than most experts push. In this bonus episode of Putting Yourself Out There As An Author, I take you through 5 simple steps, and in step 5 I have 5 top tips for you that you can action straight away. Support the show Join me on Substack - here - fo...
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